PhD Students
Ali Coates (she/her)
University of Ottawa
PhD, Management, Health Systems
Supervisors: Agnes Grudniewicz & Tracey O’Sullivan
Research Interests: Rural health, health workforce, structural urbanism, health care access
Research Methods: Qualitative, critical methods, discourse analysis, knowledge synthesis
Additional Expertise: Hivernophile: expert in winter appreciation and recreational winter sports. Mom to luge and equestrian sport athletes. “My kids are living their best life and I am their ride”
Ali Coates is a PhD student in Management, in the Health Systems specialization. Her work focuses on structural urbanism in rural health. She is a recipient of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program Doctoral Scholarships (CGS-D) by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Ali holds a BSc (Honours) degree from Mount Allison University, a MBA in Healthcare Management and a MS in Healthcare Data Analytics from Clarkson University and has held a variety of healthcare leadership roles during her career. Ali began working in the field of clinical research and eventually led the founding and early growth phases of a successful imaging core laboratory. Following a family move to the rural North Country region of New York, Ali led the establishment of a new clinical research program within St. Lawrence Health System. She was the Assistant Vice President of Physician Relations at Adirondack Health before being accepted to Telfer School of Management. While completing her MBA and MS degrees, Ali chose to focus on the rural context to understand how core management principles apply in rural health systems. Ali was a 2022 National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Rural Health Fellow. She maintains an active leadership role at the New York State Association for Rural Health.
Julie Vizza (she/her)
Ontario Tech University
Doctor of Philosophy, Health Sciences
Supervisors: David Rudoler & Agnes Grudniewicz
Research Interests: Patient experience, patient empowerment, patient self-management
Research Methods: Quantitative
Additional Expertise: Patient advocacy, reading, travelling, cooking, and generally, trying new things
Julie Vizza is a PhD candidate at Ontario Tech University (formally the University of Ontario Institute of Technology). Julie holds a joint Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and Psychology from Trent University and Master’s degree in Health Science from Ontario Tech University. Julie’s general research interests surround using the experience and expertise of patients to improve the delivery of care across various levels of the health care system. Under the co-supervision of Dr. David Rudoler (Ontario Tech University) and Dr. Agnes Grudniewicz (University of Ottawa), her current dissertation research explores medication management experiences among older adults with multiple chronic conditions and, within team-based care settings. Julie’s own lived experience as an individual with complex care needs, has strengthened her conviction that the perspectives of patients, as well as, collaboration with and among providers are fundamental in establishing and delivering optimal person-centred care.
Ellie Gooderham (she/her)
Simon Fraser University
PhD, Faculty of Health Sciences
Supervisors: Lindsay Hedden
Research Interests: Health equity, marginalised populations, chronically ill and complex care patients, administrative data
Research Methods: Quantitative
Additional Expertise: Cooking, travelling, EDI, cycling
Ellie is an PhD student in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. With her background in biological anthropology, Ellie has an interest in studying health from a variety of data sources and she is looking forward to building skills in mixed methods and qualitative research. Her lived experiences of having an invisible disability has shaped both her research interests as well as being involved with EDI in professional and personal settings.
Margaret Jamieson (she/her)
University of Toronto
PhD Health Services Research - Health Economics
Supervisors: David Rudoler & Audrey Laporte
Research Interests: Primary care, mental health and addictions, health workforce planning, labour economics, machine learning
Research Methods: Quantitative
Additional Expertise: Audiobooks, video games, hiking, knitting
Margaret is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, focusing her studies on health economics. She joined the university after completing her Bachelor’s degree in International Economics and Mathematics at the University of British Columbia. Margaret has a variety of research interests focused on the use of quantitative methods in health services research, such as machine learning, age-period-cohort modelling, and other methodologies used in her thesis work. Currently, she is focused on finishing her doctoral thesis on age-period-cohort approaches to explaining changes in primary care physician practice patterns in BC. Within the world of physician labour supply, she focuses on the provision of mental health and substance use services.
Michèle Langlois (she/her)
Saint Paul University
Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Research on Contemporary Social Issues
Supervisors: Agnes Grudniewicz
Research Interests: Prevention, education, early identification, care coordination and
integration over the lifespan, mental health, substance use health and addictions, end of life care, health equity, virtual care, client and family experiences of care, client and family self-management and empowerment, engagement of client and family expertise in co-design of care
Research Methods: Qualitative, knowledge synthesis
Additional Expertise: Homesteading, caring for chickens, muscovy ducks, and Bouvier des Flandres dogs
Passionate about making evidenced-based, plain language, culturally relevant resources (psycho-education, skill building and peer support) and community services/supports accessible to clients, families, and community workers for prevention, early identification and care for mental health, substance use health and addictions issues. Passionate about engaging families in care, where appropriate, as well as for providing front line clinical staff with the information and resources they need to connect clients and their families to care and community services. Member of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group (The Royal) Research Council Co-Chair (family perspective) of the Client- and Family-Oriented Research working group of The Royal Research Council Member of the Academic Committee of the Royal Research Council Co-Chair, Client and Family Advisory Council, AccessMHA, Eastern Ontario Region Member of the AccessMHA Oversight Committee, Eastern Ontario Region President, Ottawa Network for Borderline Personality Disorder (ON-BPD), offering a 12-week program for families of loved ones with difficulty regulating their emotions. Draw upon decades (too many to admit :) ) years’ experience as an Executive and Executive Advisor to public sector and mental health organisations in the areas of Service and Business Innovation, with specific expertise in Visioning, Strategy and Planning, Program and Project Management, and Change Leadership. Lived expertise as family member / primary care partner accompanying loved ones on their recovery from mental health, substance use health and addictions issues, as well as end of life journeys.
MSc Students
Aidan Bodner (he/him)
University of Toronto
Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Concentration: Health Services Research)
Supervisors: Sara Allin & David Rudoler
Research Interests: Health policy, health equity, access to health services, primary care, political economy of health
Research Methods: Mixed methods
Additional Expertise: Soccer, hiking, record collecting, cooking
Aidan has recently received his BSc in health sciences from Simon Fraser University where he worked with Dr. Ruth Lavergne on various projects including: an exploration into the presence of private payment for primary care services in Canada; a scoping review aiming to determine how comprehensiveness is defined, determined, or conceptualised within primary care; a national quantitative analysis of changes in equity in access to primary care. After his undergrad, Aidan will be attending the University of Toronto for an MSc in health services research with an emphasis in health policy. Aidan’s research interests are broadly centred around policies and their impact on health equity.
Marc Albert
University of Ottawa
MSc Health Systems
Supervisor: Agnes Grudniewicz & Manoj Lalu
Research Interests: Predatory journals, public health policy, trustworthiness of scientific evidence, knowledge translation
Research Methods: Qualitative research
Additional Expertise: Playing/watching sports (mainly hockey and soccer), Country music
Marc is a graduate student in the MSc. Health Systems program at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa. His thesis research involves using mainly qualitative methods and focuses on improving our understanding of how the individuals/organizations who produce public health policy documents source and evaluate scientific evidence for inclusion in said documents, as well as identifying factors that could contribute to the citation of articles published in predatory journals. Marc has a background in Biomedical Science and has previously conducted research involving the comparison of murine ovarian cancer models.
Rachel McTier (she/her)
Ontario Tech University
Masters of Health Science
Supervisor: David Rudoler
Research Interests: Mental health, EDI, sport policy
Research Methods: Quantitative
Additional Expertise: Trail & road running, weight lifting, coaching (swimming), reading
Rachel is a graduate student at the University of Ontario Tech. Her quantitative research is focused on evaluating the effectiveness of an antipsychotic order set for patients with schizophrenia implemented at Ontario Shores. This research is part of the bundled care pathway for schizophrenia at Ontario Shores. Rachel also has extensive experience in community and high performance sport and her interests include addressing Canadian sport policy and how policies affect gender diverse people.
Sameh Hashem
University of Toronto - Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation
MSc Health Services Research - Health Economics
Supervisors: David Rudoler
Research Interests: Health Systems, Public Policy, International development
Research Methods: Quantitative and Qualitative
Additional Expertise: Cooking elaborate meals and long pandemic inspired nature walks
Sameh is a Masters student at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. His current project aims to understand the impact of managed entry on primary care physician practice through the analysis of administrative data via ICES. He joins the group with a background in public policy and global affairs with a joint Masters from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Science Po Paris. When not in class or crunching data, he has had the opportunity to work for Global Affairs Canada as a policy analyst.
Reem Gaafar (she/her)
Ontario Tech University
MHSc - Community, Public and Population Health
Supervisor: David Rudoler
Research Interests: Health policy, delayed discharge in mental health patients, supportive housing, social determinants of health
Research Methods: Qualitative
Additional Expertise: Creative writing, filmmaking, graphic designing
Reem is a public health physician, researcher, writer and knowledge translator with over 15 years of experience in the MENA region. She completed a MPH from the University of Liverpool and has consulted for several health promotion campaigns as well as government and non-government entities, including WHO, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, GHD/EMPHNET and the Government of Sudan. Her writing has been featured in African Feminism, Teakisi Magazine, African Arguments, International Health Policies, Health Systems Global and in two anthologies. She also assists researchers writing in English as a second language to get published. In 2020 Reem was shortlisted for the Miles Moreland Foundation Writing Scholarship for African writers. For her Master's and PhD Reem will be working on solutions for delayed discharge in mental health patients and exploring their lived experience transitioning into and living in supportive housing.
Husayn Jessa
University of Toronto
MSc in Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Concentration: Health Services Research)
Supervisor: David Rudoler
Research Interests: Mental health services, primary care, equity, diversity
Research Methods: Quantitative
Additional Expertise: Soccer, weight lifting, reading
Husayn will be attending the University of Toronto in the Fall of 2022 to begin his MSc in Health Services Research with an emphasis in Health Economics. He completed his undergraduate degree in Health Sciences at Wilfrid Laurier University where he was awarded an Alumni Gold Medal. Husayn’s research interests include supporting individuals with mental illness, equity in care, and the overall improvement of health systems and health care.
Lucie Péléja (she/her)
University of Ottawa
MSc in Health Systems
Supervisor: Agnes Grudniewicz & Tracey O'Sullivan
Research Interests: Public trust, public health, health policy, emergency preparedness
Research Methods: Quantitative & qualitative
Additional Expertise: Hiking, kayaking, dog walking/sitting, and travelling
Over the course of her Honours BSc in Psychology (University of Ottawa), Lucie gained experience conducting quantitative research in various fields, including psychology, advanced biology, neuroimmunology, and stress research. For her master's thesis, Lucie uses qualitative designs to study public trust in governmental public health organizations during COVID-19 reopening. She is also contributing on dementia-related projects at the Arizona State University and working as a Junior Editor for the Canada Communicable Disease Report (CCDR) at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
Nabiha Tariq Paracha (she/her)
Ontario Tech University
Masters of Health Science - Community, Public and Population Health
Supervisor: David Rudoler
Research Interests: Opioid use, prescription trends, poly-pharmacy, primary care
Research Methods: Quantitative
Additional Expertise: Survivor (TV Show), hiking, coffee, and reading
Nabiha is a Masters Student at Ontario Tech University looking at research on trends of co-prescription with opioids and benzodiazepines/Z-drugs in primary care. She has also contributed to research related to the delisting of opioids in Ontario, and suicide management in health-care settings. Nabiha has worked as a health-policy intern with Diabetes Canada, and now works as a policy advisor to the Ontario Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development.
Stephanie Littleford (she/her)
Ontario Tech University
MHSc - Community, Public and Population Health
Supervisor: David Rudoler
Research Interests: Mental health, primary care, vulnerable populations, equitable care
Research Methods: Quantitative
Additional Expertise: Hiking, reading, music, sustainability
Stephanie is a master of health science candidate at OntarioTech university in the community, public, and population stream with a background in psychology. Her research focuses on the prescription of antipsychotics to people with dementia in a primary care setting. She is currently working as an office manager at a health clinic part time alongside her studies. Stephanie has also worked as a graduate research assistant and teaching assistant throughout her time at OntarioTech. Though most of her work has been quantitative, Stephanie is open to exploring mixed-methods and qualitative investigations as well. After graduation Stephanie hopes to enter a position as a research or policy analyst but is open to any positions which intrigues her and make her feel like she is being challenged.
Hannah is a Master of Science student in health systems at the University of Ottawa. Prior to starting her graduate studies, she completed her Bachelors of Science Honours degree with a minor in neuroscience from the University of Guelph. She has an interest in translational research, public health, and patient engagement.
Hannah Wotherspoon (she/her)
University of Ottawa
MSc - Health Systems
Supervisor: Agnes Grudniewicz,
Manoj Lalu
Research Interests: Public Health, preclinical to clinical translation, patient engagement, knowledge translation
Research Methods: Qualitative
Additional Expertise: Figure skating, skiing, travelling
Other Trainees
Vrishank Saini
University of Chicago
Neuroscience (major) and Computational Neuroscience (minor)
Supervisor: David Rudoler
Research Interests: Mental health, neuroscience, substance use, machine learning
Research Methods: Mixed
Additional Expertise: Hiking, basketball, dirt biking, and video editing
Vrishank is an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago focusing his studies in computational neuroscience. Vrishank’s research interests include supporting individuals with mental health illnesses and substance use disorders using machine learning. He is heavily involved with projects surrounding the enhancement of mental health from his app called Bioscope Wellness to fundraising thousands through student run organizations. Vrishank further pursues his interest for computational neuroscience by writing books on artificial intelligence topics.
Graduates
Amanda Gormley (she/her)
Dalhousie University
Medicine
Supervisor: Ruth Lavergne
Anneka Sheppard
Dalhousie University
Medicine
Supervisor: Ruth Lavergne
Lauren Mills
Dalhousie University
Medicine
Supervisor: Ruth Lavergne
Rachel Thelen (she/her)
University of Ottawa
MSc Health Systems
Supervisor: Agnes Grudniewicz
